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A Perfect Collection

By: Lost-Remembrance (Red Tail

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Chapter Ten—At Any Cost:

She landed on the floor in a bloodied heap and she lifted her head with much effort to glare at her captor, head and vision dizzy from the blood loss. She coughed, lowering her head as the cage door was slammed closed, locked tight. The glass didn't stop the laughter that reached both Heero and Relena's ears.

"Heero…" She managed to twist her body on the floor, using some of her reserved strength to get up and crawl on her hands and knees weakly over to Heero who was slumped against the wall. She thanked any god that she knew of for letting him be unconscious for most of the time, praying that the pain she knew he was in couldn't reach him there.

Her breath came out as a whisper on his lips,"…Relena…" She looked down with love at the person she was holding in her arms and smiled lightly, pulling him into more of an embrace and she rested her chin on the top of his head. His breathing slowed to a more even pace and she knew that he was once more unconscious. Whenever he slept, a pianed expression was always on his face, but everytime he woke up it was getting to be less and less.

She was beginning to worry even more.

She closed her eyes and willed herself to try and heal her body as best as she could. Her eyes burned with images, remembering the "torture" the man had given her. Her head hurt, each memory of pain and hurt flashes through her mind.

Back in that dark little room was a small television and, through that device, she saw hours upon hours of all the inhumane acts that human's had commited over the years and every time, she thought she would lose her mind. She tightened her grip on Heero. Tears managed to slip through her barriers.

"At what cost does peace come to us?" She found herself questioning Heero, knowing that peace had cost him his innocence and the life he was trying to gain back.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to think fo more pleasant thoughts, and of freedom. However, the thought still circulated around the room; at what cost?

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"What new reports?"

"We've managed to track down a location that may be a possible area as to which the escapee may have hidden away at." Une nodded to this, looking at the paper that was given to her, and then raised an eyebrow at the information. "Ma'am, we understand that it's rare and may not be the area at all, but we are willing to give it a shot."

"Why would this man return to where he originally was?" She laced her fingers together, wanting a valid reason before she sounded the alarm to storm the place. The press would be all over the situation if the raid leaked to the press or it was a fluke, then that would caused Heero and Relena's captor to go underground with them. For all they knew, the two could be dead… and she quickly willed that thought away quickly enough.

"We thought about it, and the person is a madman, ma'am." The Preventer reported, body stiff and muscles tensed. "And, we figured that he would think of it to be the last place to look."

'Good enough reason.' She sighed and nodded her head, "I clear it. Get Maxwell and the other pilots set up. If they want to go in alone, tell them that I sent the backup." The person nodded, saluting Une.

"Thank you, Lady."

She his words off, "Good luck." Nodding, the person left the room and Une sank into her chair.

'Please,' She stood up and looked out the window, staring at the people walking and continueing on with their lives as if peace wasn't being threatened once more. 'Please, be all right. For the sake of both the colonies and the Earth, may you be all right.'

There was a knock on her door and she turned as the door was opened. "Miss Une?" One of the lower ranking Preventer questioned, standing at attention before the Commander.

"Yes?"

"We're ready."

Taking a deep breath, she nodded, "Good. Start the mission then—try not to limit casulaties and injuries if possible. No civilians are to be involved in this."

"Understood, ma'am."

TBC

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Author's note: Short, yes…I know… --' my brain doesn't want to work today it seems. Need to go work on those other updates now:scurries off:

Love, Red Tail